We all know how hard it is to get ourselves, our kids, and a countless amount of ‘stuff’ out the door when headed someplace. Often this is reason enough to simply stay home. After all, who needs social interaction when we’ve got social media, right? Wrong!!
Facebook has a way of roping us in and sucking away time that could and probably should be spent doing more important things. Here’s a quick list of why we should cut back on our Facebook time and how we can better receive the social in social media.It will help you to stop comparing yourself.
I think we all realize this, yet it probably won’t come to an end anytime soon. Facebook is way too glamorized. Nobody’s life is perfect, yet social media often portrays them as so. This has the potential to create guilt, jealousy, and friendships that are not genuine. Don’t fall into this trap!You need the social interaction.
When it comes to communication, it is so much easier to talk to somebody in person than it is to text or message someone! We miss out on all the subtle and contextual signals (body language and facial expressions) that come with conversation when we’re behind a screen. Facebook interactions aren’t helping our children. When we are out and about conversing with people, our kids pick up on cues, social norms, and appropriate behaviors while listening to us talk. They benefit from social interaction just as much as we do!If we can’t see them, we can’t help them.
Now, this isn’t always true because there are a good amount of complainers, help seekers, and pity posts but those only come from certain people. You know exactly who I’m talking about. But think of all the many many people who are struggling right now, perhaps yourself included, who are not posting about their problems. If we are able to get out and interact with others, we can see or hear from them personally and we can help them. Heck, they can help us!You will avoid over-sharing.
We all think we have the ______est child out there. I say this from experience, because I DO have the cutest, smartest, silliest, sweetest child in the whole world… ;) But truly, sometimes you can over-share, and it's important to think about whether or not your children would be comfortable with other people knowing certain things about them.Simply put, real friendships are easier to build in person than online.
I can understand wanting to stay caught up on other people’s lives, that’s what social media is for. But this shouldn’t take us long; a quick scroll through our feeds should do the trick then it’s time to move on to other things! Think of all the many things we could be doing instead of wasting time on social media. I’ve had to delete apps off my phone to encourage and remind me that I don’t NEED Facebook as part of my daily routine. I have a friend who sets a timer before opening Facebook just so they don’t linger longer than necessary. Put down the phone and live life!Act on what you read.
Okay, if I haven’t convinced you by now to reduce Facebook time, at least do this simple thing: act on what you read. If you read an inspiring article, run with it and let it uplift your day. If you completely agree with something a friend shared, tell them! If you see a cute picture of your friend’s child, shoot them a text saying so and set up a play-date to get your kiddos together.While it might be hard to give up our Facebook addictions, when we do we’ll find that replacing them with something else has the potential to not only enrich our own lives, but the lives of those around us as well. Many moms may feel like it's your only connection to the outside world - which may be true - but then use it to get into the outside world. Trust me, you'll have way more fun.
